Flow governor for fluid operated pumps



Feb. 20, 1940. C, CQBERLY 2,191,093

FLOW GOVERNOR FOR FLUID OPERATED PUMPS Filed May 6, 19.38

A oms/frs.

Patented Feb. 20, 1940 UNITED STATES FLOW GOVERNOR FOR FLUID OPERATED PUMPS l clarence J. cohen-1y, Los Angeles, oeuf., mignonto Roko Corporation, Reno, Nev., a corporation oi' Nevada 'Appia-suon May s, 193s, serial No. :n.427

7 Claims.

My invention relatesto iiuid'operated deep well pump equipment, and more particularly to a fluid operated pump embodying a novel form of flow governing device.

My invention is an improvement over the vices shown in my copending Patents No. 2,119,- 736, issued June 7, 1938, for Governed fluid operated pump, and No. 2,119,737, issued June 7, 1938, for System of operating fluid-operated pumps.

As shown in my above-numbered patents, uid operated pump mechanisms for use in deep wells ordinarily include a iuid motor with a pump unit operatively connected to the uid motor and adapted to pump oil from the well up through a production tube leading to the top of the well. For operating the mechanism. iiuid such as oil is pumpedfunder relatively high pressure through a tubing connected to the uid motor. As long as the device is pumping oil from 20 the oil formation in the well. it will operate at a normal speed, but it citer-,occurs that gas forms in or enters the pump unit so that instead of a liquid being pumped, the pump unit is operating against a compressible gas, the result being that a material part of the pumping load is removed and the pump unit then races or operates at high speed until the gas is removed from the pump unit. Fluid operated deep well pumps, due to space limitations, are customarily of cylinderpiston type, both the iiuid motor and pump unit having pistons operating in suitable cylinders. When a pumping device of this character is allowed to race, damage and breakage-of working parts are frequent, necessitating withdrawal and replacement of parts.

My above copending applications in part cover providing such a iiuid operated deep well pump with simple forms of governors for controlling the ilow of the high pressure operating fluid to 40 the fluid motor ther'eof, by maintaining the volume of flow thereof below a predetermined maximum so as to prevent racing of the pump when the working load thereon decreases, the governors operating vin response to changes in load conditions existing in the pump unit. These prier flow governing devices of mine may be originally set for any predetermined maximum flow desired, within the limits of the devices, but in order to reset them they must either be removed from the well by withdrawing the tubing on which they are suspended for surface adjustment, or the tubing must be rotated or otherwise moved to reset the devices for a different maximum flow condition. Readjustment of the governors is frequently necessary or desirable in view of frequent del' (C'l. 10S-43) changes in flow conditions in the wells. and either of the above modes of readjustment is sometimes impractical or undesirable under operating conditions. Y

' Another disadvantage of my prior flow gov- 5 ernors is that they cannot be removed from the well for cleaning or replacement of parts without disturbing the operation of the fluid operated pump. I have found that ow governors sometimes become fouled with sand, wax, or other 1,0 undesirable foreign substances which prevent the governors from functioning, usually resulting in the governors closing off entirely so as to prevent 'a iiow of operating uid to the pump, which heretofore has necessitated a pulling .job, with 15 the attendant undesirable delays in production and expense incident thereto.

It is therefore a primary object of my present invention to provide a simple form of governor for controlling the ow of uid under relatively high pressure to a fluid operated pump. which may be readily installed in or removed from the well without moving the fluid operated pump or any of the tubing leading thereto. I prefer to accomplish this by providing a governor of such small external diameter that it may be passed through the pressure iuid tubing into working position at any time after installation of the fluid operated pump, and by providing a seating mechanism whereby the governor will automatically seat in working position in Huid-tight relation to a seat.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following speciflcation and the drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view, partly in section, of my invention installed in a well.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of my invention, showing it in working position.

Referring to Fig. 1 of the drawing, I show an 40 oil well having a casing I0, the lower end of which is perforated as is well known in the art to permit well fluid to fiow into the lower end of the. casing from the producing formation. The upper end of the casing I0 is provided with a casing 45.

head |I as is well known in the art, suspended fromwhich is a string of production tubing l2 which communicates at its upper end through the casing head with a discharge pipe I3, the lower end of the production tubing being provided with a check valve iitting I4 having a ball member I5 therein adapted to permit well uid to flow from the casing I0 into the lower end thereof, and being provided at its upper end with a conical seat I6 which receives the-lowerend of 55 a fluid operated 'pump I1 in unid-tight relation.

Although any suitable type of uid operated pump may be used, as is well known in the art, I prefer to use a iluid operated pump such as shown and described in my earlier copending Patent 2,119,736, issued June v, 193s, to which reference is hereby made.

As shown in Fig. 2, an upper lltting I8 of the fluid operated pump I1 is threadedly connected to a collar I8 which is in turn threaded to the lower end of a high pressure tubing 20 which extends upwardly through the casing I' and through the casing head II to a suitable source of supply o! high pressure operating iluid (not shown). The collar I8 is provided with a bore 2 I which is internally threaded to receive a tubular element 22 having a conicalV tip'22 secured to the upper end thereof.`

Adapted to seat on thel conical tip 22 o! the tubular element 22 is a ow governor 26 which provides the flow governing means of my' invention. The ow governor 26 comprises a central tubular body `26 having an upper bore 21 and a lower bore 28 separated by a central body portion 29. Secured to the upper end of the central tubular body 26 isl an upper collar 38 having an internal diameter substantially smaller than the internal diameter of the upper bore 21, and to which is threaded a tubular ilshing member 3l having perforations 32 therein and having a post 33 formed integrally thereon or connected thereto having annular nanges 34 and having an eye member 26 at the upper end thereof. To the lower end of the central tubular body 26 is threaded a tapered seat element 36 having a conical seat 31 in the lower end thereof for engagement with the conical tip 23.

The central body portion 28 has a central bore 38 which is chambered out near its upper end to provide an annular chamber 46 and an annular wall 4I. Vertical passages 42 are provided to communicate between the annular chamber 40 and the lower bore 28. The lower end of the central bore 38 is counterbored and threaded to receive a spring cup 43 against the lower end of which bears a compression spring 44. The upper end of the compression spring 44 bears against a circular plate .element 46 which is adapted for slight vertical movement in a recess 46 formed between the upper end of the spring cup 43 and the central body portionJS. Engaging the circular plate element 46 is a pointed tip 41 of a piston rod element 48 adapted to slide in duid-tight relation in the central bore I8. YThe piston rod element 48 is provided with anannularlrecess 66 near the upper end there` of forming an upper shoulder 6I adjacent thereto and providing an annular space 62 between the recess andthe annular wall 4I. ISecured to the upper end of the piston rod element 48 is a piston member 63 adapted for vertical movement in the upper bore 21 and having communicating helical grooves 64 and 66 in the outer surface thereof to provide a restricted e communieating between the upper and lower faces of the piston member, the piston rod element 4I beins provided with an axial passage 48a therethrough which permits high pressure operating iluid to ilow into the lower end o! the central bore 86 to assist in balancing the downwardly acting fluid pressure exerted on the upper face oi' the piston member 63. It is tobe noted that the external diameter of the i'low governor 26 is 'materially less than the internal diameter of the high pressure tubing 26 in order to insure 20 until the lower end of the pump seats inl uid-tight engagement with the conical seat I6. It is sometimes preferable to seat the pump I1 in the iitting I4 and lower both the production tubing I2 and the high pressure tubing 20 into the well atthe same time, and either mode of installation may be employed. 'I'he flow governor 25 may then be inserted into the upper end of the y.high pressuretubing 20 and lowered through the tubing to seated position, as shown in Fig. 2, by a suitable line 26a which may be a single strand of wire of small diameter and which passes through a packing gland element 2 Ia, which may be of any well known construction, in the line of the supply tubing. If the high pressure tubing 2li is illled with high pressure uid, the low governor 25 may be simply dropped therein and- ,allowed to descend by gravity, the high pressure ilow governor 25 is moved into the installed position shown in Fig. 2, it is set for any predetermined maximum ilow therethrough by providing a compression spring 44 having the desired compressive strength or by substituting a piston member 53 having helical grooves 54 and 56 of any desired dimensions. In some cases it may be desirable to operate the fluid operated pump I1 for a short time prior to installation of the ilow governor 26 in order to determine the possible maximum production from the well so as to determine the proper setting of the governor before installation therein.

In operation.- after the flow governor 25 has been installed in the position shown in Fig. 2, high pressure iluid such as oil is forced downwardly through the high pressure tubing 20, it passing through the perforations 32 and downwardly through the tubular fishing member 3| into the upper collar 38 of the ilow governor 25. The high pressure iluid then flows through the helical grooves 54 and 55 of the piston member 53, which are so designed las to provide a pressure diierential between the upper and lower faces of the piston member which is substantially equal to the maximum upward force which can be exerted by the compression spring 44 on the,

being opened or closed to any degree by upward or downward movement, respectively, of the piston member 62, Thus, high pressure uid iiows through the annular space 62 into the annular chamber 48 and thence downwardly through the vertical es 42 into the lower bore 28, from which it passes through the seat element 36 into the-tubular element 22 and thence downthe pump tends to increase with the decrease in load, which' in turn causes an increase in the pressure differential between the faces of the piston member 53 which overbalanoes the upward force exerted by the compression spring 44 and causes the piston member to move downwardly until such time as the pressure diierential is again balanced by the spring-M, downward 'movement of the piston member bringing the shoulder 5I nearer to the annular wall 4| to Vrestrict the cross-sectional area of the valve orifice formed by the annular space 52, and thus limiting the rate of flow of pressure fluid downwardly through the governor. It will thus be 4understood that any momentary increase in flow of pressure iiuid through the high pressure tubing 20 causes an increase in pressure differential across the piston member 53, which immediately causes the piston member to move downwardly, thus throttling the flow through the valve orice formed by the annular space 52.

When it is desired to reset the flow governor 25 so as to increase or decrease the maximum ilow permitted therethrough, as, for example, when the natural flow of the well increases or decreases, a line and grapple (not shown) may be lowered through the high pressure tubing 20 so as to engage the eye member 35 or the annular flanges 34 of the flow governor, and the governor may then be raised through the high pressure tubing to the surface of the well where the compression on the compression spring Il may be manually adjusted to provide for the desired maximum flow through the governor. 'I'he flow governor 25 may then be relowered, or dropped, through the high pressure tubing 20 to seat in working position as shown in Fig. 2 and as described above.` Thus, it will be understood thatthe flow governor 25 shown herein may be readily withdrawn from the Well at any time desired without disturbing the rest of the pumping equipment therein, which materially decreases the delays incident to removing the pump or tubing, or moving the same. y

Although I have shown and described the preferred embodiment of my invention, it will be understood that I do not intend to be limited thereby but wish to be afforded the full scope of the following claims.

I claim as my invention:

l. In a fluid operated deep Well pumping mechanism, the combination of: a pumping unit adapted to be placed in a well, said pumping unit comprisinga fluid motor and a pump connected to said fluid motor so as to be driven thereby; a pressure iiuid delivery pipe extending from a source of supply of pressure fluid downwardly through said well to said pumping unit for delivering said pressure fluid thereto; and a governor adapted to be passed through said delivery pipe in said well into Working position adjacent said pumping unit to permit a flow of pressure fluid therethrough from said delivery pipe to said pumping unit, said governor controlling said flow of pressure fluid therethrough.

4 2. In a uid operated deep well pumping mechanism, the combination of: a fluid operated pumping unit disposed in a well; a tubular iiuid inlet member extending from said pumping unit; a pressure iluid delivery pipe extending from a source of supply of pressure uid downwardly through said well to said pumping unit for delivering said pressure fluid thereto; and a governor adapted to be passed through said delivery pipe in said well into operative connection with said tubular uid inlet member, in which said governor connects said delivery pipe to said inletmember, said governor controlling the flow of pressure fluid to said pumping unit.

3. In a iluid operated deep well pumping mechanism, the combination of: a fluid operated pumping unit disposed in 'a well; a tubular uid inlet member extending from said pumping unit;

a pressure uid delivery pipe extending from a source of supply of pressure fluid to said pumping unit for delivering said pressure fluid thereto; a governor adapted to be passed through said delivery pipe into operative connectionwith said tubular fluid inlet member, in which said governor connects said delivery pipe to said `inlet member, said governor controlling the ilow of pressure fluid to said pumping unit; and means for withdrawing said governor from said delivery pipe.

4. In a uid operated deep well pumping mechanism, the combination of: a uid operated pumping unit disposed in a well; a tubular fluid inlet member extending from said pumping unit having a seating connection thereon; a pressure fluid delivery pipe extending from a source of supply of pressure fluid to said pumping unit for delivering said pressure uid thereto; and a governor having a seating element thereon, said governor being adapted to be passed through said delivery pipe to a position in which said seating element is seated in fluid-tight relation to said seating connection, said governor connecting said delivery pipe to said inlet member and controlling the iiow of pressure fluid therethrough to said pumping unit.

5. In a fluid operated deep well pumping mechanism, the combination of: a fluid operated pumping unit disposed in a well; a tubular iiuid inlet member extending from said pumping unit having a seating connection thereon; a pressure supply of pressure fluid to said pumping unit for delivering said pressure iiuid thereto; a governor having a seating element thereon, said governor being adapted to be passed through said delivery pipe to a position in which said seating element is seated in fluid-tight relation to said seating connection, said governor connecting said delivery pipe to said inlet member and controlling the flow of pressure iiuid therethrough to said pumping unit; and means for withdrawing said governor from said delivery pipe without disturbing the position of said delivery pipe in the well.

6. A now governor for controlling the flow of pressure fluid through a delivery pipeto a fluid operated pump in a well, the delivery pipe being connected to the pump to supply a flow of pressure uid to the pump to operate the same, characterized by: the governor having an external diameter sufficiently smallerthan the internal diameter of saiddelivery pipe so as to permit the governor to be passed downwardly through the delivery pipe to aposition adjacent the pump, the governor communicating between the delivery pipe and the pump and controlling the nowl of pressure fluid therethrough to the pump; and means'i'or forming a duid-tight joint between the governor and the pump.

7. A ow governor for controlling the iiow of pressure uid through a delivery pipe to a uid operated pump in a well, the delivery pipe being connected to the pump to supply `a ow of pressure iiuid to the pump to operate the same,

-characterized by:` the governor having an external diameter sumciently smaller than the in- 10 ternal diameter of said delivery pipe so as to perthe ow oi' pressure fluid therethrough to the Dump; means for forming a uid-tight joint between thegovernor and the pump; and means for withdrawing said governor from l,said delivery pipe. v CLARENCE J. COBERLY. 

